Premier Scott Moe’s message was a familiar one to those attending the Food Fuel Fertilizer Global Summit put on by Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.
Moe’s message to the pro-business audience at the Delta Hotel on Monday was one that touted the trade and export efforts of Saskatchewan on the world stage, as he pointed out 40 percent of all the trade exports going into India come from Saskatchewan.
He pointed to the world looking to Saskatchewan to provide “that food, that fuel, that fertilizer.” Moe also continued to touch on the “sustainable Saskatchewan” them that his government has been promoting over the last several months, noting the world is also asking how products are built and if the products were sustainable.
“When you look at what Saskatchewan is providing, we can certainly say the answer to that question is yes, some of the most sustainable products in the world.”
With former Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the room, Moe seemed to have another Prime Minister in mind when he added there were also challenges, many of those “coming from another level of government centred in Ottawa.”
Moe spoke of the challenging relationship between the provinces and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s federal government.
“We accept the inevitability that we are going to have disagreements in this space, but what we do not accept is when we have a federal government that is so entrenched their, what I would say is a flawed policy position, that there is no room for compromise, and absolutely no room to actually sit down and work together as to what is in the best interest of Canadians. There’s little or no desire to work together for the betterment of provincial opportunities as well, and for the industries and businesses that are creating wealth, I would say not just in the province of Saskatchewan, but when the province and the people of Saskatchewan do well, I would say by the very extension Canada does well. Canada’s success is going to, and always will be an accumulation of provincial successes. Provincial successes will be an accumulation of industrial successes within that province’s community successes within that province as well. Canada’s success is always going to be what we do and how we do that together.”
Mole also pointed to his own government’s efforts in telling the sustainability story of Saskatchewan around the world, and seemed to have the federal government in mind when he said “we’re disappointed at times, because we don’t see that same vigor in telling that story of what we’re doing, and how we are producing some of the not only highest quality, some of the most cost-competitive products that you can find on Earth, but we’re also producing some of the most sustainable, if not most sustainable products that you can find on Earth. So rest assured, you can count on your province to continue to do that for yourselves on your behalf, and we can only do that with the help of you in this room here today, and many others.”
In speaking to reporters afterwards, Moe said the conference was “tremendously important to bring industries together that are not only making investments but creating wealth, creating employment, creating opportunity in our communities either directly through the work they’re doing, or through all of the spin-off employment and investments in small and medium size businesses that are a result of the mainline export -based industries that we have. So to have a conference, the second annual Food Fuel and Fertilizer conference that is bringing those players into the room I think is of significant importance as we hope to expand on the opportunities that we are already achieving in Saskatchewan. So part of it is about to discuss what is working but part of it is about discussing what Saskatchewan people’s aspirations are.”
In addition to his own keynote speech, Moe also took part in sit-down round tables with Tim Gitzel, president and CEO of Cameco, as well as with former Prime Minister Harper. The Food Fuel Fertilizer summit runs May 6 and 7 in Regina.
